I LOVE using social emotional learning (SEL) videos in elementary and middle school classrooms. Through hours (I mean, HOURS) of watching YouTube, I have compiled some of my FAVORITE videos to target these crucial skills with our learners! Here we go.
SEL Videos
I love this push for infusing SEL into subject areas – yes! Seeing best practice in action makes my heart sing (get it?). I would dare to say that this can be useful for music teachers and NON music teachers… because I’ve seen it! Perfect for our younger students.
I think I can definitively say this is my favorite resource in this post. I am OBSESSED with this channel – the videos are absolutely spot on for students, I love that they are short and very easy for teachers to infuse into the school day, the topics seamlessly align with the CASEL competencies, and they are culturally relevant. You cannot go wrong.
This video is awesome for 3-8 graders – you could likely stretch this to high school as well. I think it would be great for predictions and analyzing in an english or media studies class, and infuse SEL along the way. It’s a must watch for all of us.
This is an award winning video that is ideal for elementary age students. It shows self love, self confidence, growth mindset, family dynamics… this would be a perfect into a conversation about any of the aforementioned topics. This is also a book, and might be fun to compare and contrast the two!
When I stumbled upon this channel, I felt like I hit the jackpot. This channel is phenomenal for upper elementary and middle school students. Find basically any topic under the sun and it’s all shared from a kids point of view! I love that they hit some really specific topics that can be really, really helpful in therapy, social work sessions, etc.
CBC kids has so many great videos on their channel, I love their ingenuity! My favorite playlist of videos is “Small Talk” – the kids touch on some really great SEL topics.
No surprises here – Sesame Street is basically the original SEL teacher! I love their collection of videos because they have vintage Sesame Street content all the way through their current content. Everything is wonderful, from their vocabulary lessons to the songs with celebrities. These videos are excellent for our little friends!
Looking for YouTube videos with more of an academic focus? Check out my favorites for special education!
What SEL videos and channels would you add here? Comment below and share with us!